Trial of Fire
by AstroKender
Summary: A dangerous situation leads Yuuri to discover his feelings for Wolfram run deeper than expected. Shy and awkward when it comes to showing their feelings, a meddling mother could cause them to break a very ancient rule.
1. Chapter 1

Trial of Fire  
By: AstroKender  
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou  
Pairings: Future Yuuri/Wolfram  
Warnings: Rated T for light violence angst, and adult situations.  
Spoilers: Murata Ken's identity.  
Notes: I haven't taken any specific attempts to peg this story down within a specific point in the KKM timeline. If I had to hazard a guess, it would be shortly after episode 40. (Though I doubt any true spoilers of these events will be revealed.) This will be a multi-part fic focusing on a little explored possibility in Yuuri and Wolfram's relationship.

Chapter One

"I'm really sorry, Conrad." Yuuri's head drooped dejectedly.

"It's all right, your Majesty." Conrad reassured the ebony-haired boy, his voice pleasant and calm as always. "You did the right thing."

Yuuri miserably took stock of their situation. "It certainly doesn't feel that way now."

"I'm sure help will arrive soon." Conrad stated optimistically.

Yuuri stared at the molten lava as it crept closer, scorching the grass before swallowing it up greedily. The lava was still several yards away; plenty of time for even a feeble old man to easily escape it's burning clutches. Unfortunately, the large stake he and Conrad were tied to prevented them from doing the same. Apparently Yuuri's insistence that they travel to a neighboring human settlement to warn them of Anissa's prediction of a volcano eruption had been a bad idea. Who knew?

Yuuri wiggled fitfully, trying to loosen the ropes bound across his chest. The young Maou might as well have been trying to bend steel. Those villagers certainly crafted good quality rope. Resigned, Yuuri's shoulders slumped in defeat. Wallowing in self-recrimination, Yuuri stole a sideways glance over his shoulder where Conrad was standing; straight backed yet seemingly relaxed. No word of blame passed the soldiers lips. Nor did he, after his initial attempt, try to struggle free. The tall soldier merely stood there, back to their mutual stake, trussed like a turkey and evidently not bothered by it in the least. Yuuri shook his head. It's not like this was an everyday occurrence.

Right?

"I have a knack for getting us in this kind of situation, don't I?" Yuuri mumbled out guiltily.

Yuuri could just make out Conrad's shoulders as they shook in a silent chuckle. "Yes, I suppose you do." The taller man admitted.

"Yuuri! Just what in the hell do you think you are doing?" A recriminating voice called loudly from the edge of the clearing. "Conrad! I thought you were supposed to look after this wimp!"

Face set in a scary frown, Wolfram ran towards them, his sword drawn and held in a tight two-handed grip. Yuuri watched his fiancé's approach and wondered idly why it seemed to him that their situation had just gotten worse. Yuuri could actually see the fire blazing in those large green eyes, even at this distance.

Wolfram stopped suddenly, about six yards from their location. The blond glared at them, his face scrunched up oddly. Yuuri watched as Wolfram's eyes darted sideways briefly to the approaching lava, before his gaze switched to pin him with an accusing glare.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?" The prince demanded.

"His majesty's orders proceed any of my own wishes." Conrad said evenly. Yuuri groaned. Not only had his idol the luck to be tied in a position that hid him from the irritable blond, he had also just conveniently placed the blame for their situation at Yuuri's own feet.

Clearing his throat, Yuuri decided simple truths might be the best way to go.

"I don't know why the villagers attacked us. All we were trying to do was warn them about the volcano." He really couldn't explain it. They were more than polite about it, even leaving Wolfram asleep at the inn to prevent any human-biased outbursts.

"They're humans, what do you expect?"

Like that one.

"We came here to help them!" Yuuri growled, beginning to get irritated, himself.

"Evidently they didn't want your help." Wolfram mocked. "So why didn't you defend yourself?"

"I didn't want to hurt them."

"They're just villagers, Wolfram," Conrad chided. "Not soldiers."

"So normal villagers just so happen to have a dozen baseball sized hoseki in their possession?" Wolfram raised his hand to indicate the circle of stones that were effectively keeping the blond aristocrat from venturing any closer.

"It doesn't matter," Yuuri cried out, his sense of justice once again overcoming common sense. "They were armed with farming tools! There were women with them, and children! I didn't want anybody to get hurt."

"A little late for that." Wolfram muttered, shifting his grip on his sword reflexively.

"What do you mean?" Yuuri demanded an unnatural lump forming in his throat.

"What, you think they were just going to stand by and let me rescue you?" Wolfram's eyes widened incredulously. How naïve could this dark-haired fiancé be?

Now that Yuuri attention was drawn to it, Wolfram did indeed look a bit more tousled than normal. Two long scratches crossed the blond boy's cheek and his clothing was rumpled and covered with dirt. Yuuri's eyes quickly scoured the length of Wolfram's thin blade, grimly searching for the telltale signs of blood.

"I didn't kill them." Wolfram stated crossly, noticing his fiancé's look. He hurriedly sheathed his sword with short, clipped motions. "I only knocked them out."

"Even the children?" Yuuri pressed on angrily.

"Hey, those little brats bit me!" Wolfram growled defensively.

"But they were just k—"

"I think that perhaps we should continue this conversation once we've freed ourselves from our current situation." Conrad broke into the argument reluctantly. He normally wasn't one to interfere with the Maou and his intended's affairs, but the lava had nearly reached the outer edge of hoseki that was preventing Wolfram from shouting at his fiancé from a closer distance.

The two young men quickly stopped in their blame tossing, as they stared at the approaching lava apprehensively. The molten rock was close enough to them now that Yuuri could feel the heat beginning to scorch through his heavy clothes. Yuuri quickly smothered a quick shiver of fear that raced up his spine. But Conrad felt it anyway.

"It'll be okay, Yuuri." He spoke in a low voice, for the Maou's ears alone.

"Wolfram," Yuuri's voice broke on the name and he quickly cleared his throat. "You need to go get help."

The blonde stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "And just who am I supposed to get? The whole village was in on this!"

"I don't know!" Yuuri snapped, fear and desperation making his voice unnaturally harsh. "Hoseki only affect full-blooded demons. You need to find someone, a human, that can actually walk through the hoseki barrier to untie us."

"What are you talking about?" Wolfram huffed. "I can free you."

"You can't pass through the circle and you know it!" The dark-haired boy yelled. "Stop being unreasonable, Wolfram! We're running out of time here."

"Are you calling me weak?" Wolfram's face darkened.

"No, I—"

"Just you watch me." Wolfram muttered; his eyes set with a determination nobody was going to be able to talk him out of.

Squaring his shoulders, the blond took a cautious step forward, wincing as he entered the hoseki's field. Wolfram took a second step, and then another, slowly but surely closing the distance between himself and the other two. His face had turned a sickly shade of green and his upper lip was dotted with sweat, but the stubborn noble continued forward.

"See, I told you I could do this." Wolfram bragged, his voice just a bit tighter than normal. "I'm not a wimp like some—"

A bright flash filled the clearing, temporarily blinding Yuuri. But he and Conrad clearly heard Wolfram's strangled scream followed by a sickening thump.

"Wolfram!" Conrad called out, twisting about in an effort to see.

Once the floating specks disappeared from Yuuri's vision, the human turned Maou scoured the ground frantically for his friend. Wolfram lay flat on his back, a good couple of yards away from his last position. The boy was groaning and rocking himself in pain, as threads of smoke rose from his body.

"Wolfram! What happened?" Yuuri's worry for his friend overcame his earlier irritation at the boy.

"I… don't know." The blond mumbled out weakly. "The hoseki…."

"Go get help Wolfram." Conrad urged. "Hold someone from the village hostage if you must—"

"What?" Yuuri protested.

"Your Majesty, at this point we need to concern ourselves with the future of our kingdom, which would not turn out favorably if you were to die."

"I guess you're right." Yuuri muttered reluctantly. "But I don't want anyone hurt," He switched his gaze back to the blond prince. "You've got to promise me that, Wolfram."

"No!" Wolfram growled, as he painstakingly rose to his feet. "I can do this!"

"Don't be stubborn!" Yuuri's brow lowered into a scowl.

"I don't need any help saving you!" Wolfram yelled before rushing towards the circle of stones once more.

The hoseki pulsed warningly at the blond's approach before flaring up with power and throwing the boy backwards once more. Growling, Wolfram struggled up a second time, squinting through one eye as he struggled to center his vision.

"Will you listen now?" Yuuri demanded, and uncomfortable knot forming in his stomach. "Just go back to the village—"

"Yuuri…" Conrad whispered. "I think the time for that course of action has passed. With the lava's current proximity, there is no way Wolfram could return in time."

"But…"

"Wolfram," Conrad called across to his younger half brother. "Stay focused. You just can't rush through the barrier. You have to go slow."

Wolfram stumbled forward, his face scrunched up in pain or irritation or both. "I already tried that."

"Concentrate your maryoku. Use it like a shield in front of you."

"But hoseki suppress a demon's maryoku." Wolfram gritted his teeth as he inched slowly forward. "I can't even feel my powers right now."

"You have to try," Conrad's voice was unnaturally calm. "Otherwise the hoseki will overwhelm you completely."

Taking a deep breath, Wolfram slowly continued towards them. Watching his face, Yuuri could tell the exact moment the blond entered the hoseki's field. The green tinge to the slender boy's face had disappeared, replaced with a deathly white.

Wolfram's breathing came out in sharp pants as he struggled onward, coming nearer to the line of anti-demonic stones. The blond froze as his toe entered the circle, but this time he wasn't thrown back. Gasping, the boy tried to move his other foot forward, only to collapse suddenly to his knees.

"Wolfram!" Yuuri cried out, that invisible knot tightening.

"Shut up…wimp…" Wolfram's voice was barely audible. "Trying…to concentrate…."

"Just—throw us your sword from there!" Yuuri ordered desperately. "Maybe we can catch it and cut ourselves free!"

"Your Majesty, the lava is almost upon us." Conrad murmured softly, a worried edge finally sharpening his voice.

But at this point Yuuri could only notice the lava's vicinity to Wolfram. The blond was now crawling on his hands and knees, inching forward at a snail's pace. Yuuri's throat closed up as he watched the tears of pain glimmer against his fiancé's pale cheeks.

"Wolfram, just forget it! We'll find another way!"

Eyes glazed, the blonde didn't respond. Wolfram was finally inside the circle of hoseki, but instead of the stone's powers diminishing, they seemed to have increased. Sparks erupted from the young prince's body, causing his muscles to spasm and twitch. Wolfram now rested more than he moved forward, his breath coming in uneven gasps as he looked about two seconds from passing out.

Yuuri watched in horror as the blond suddenly started coughing; splashes of red flying past his lips to splatter against the ground.

Blood.

"Wolfram stop!" Conrad shouted suddenly. "These aren't normal hoseki!"

Wolfram continued to crawl forward, army style, the determination never fading from his face. He was a mere body's length away from them now. But to Yuuri, who could only watch the unfolding scene helplessly, it felt like miles.

"You'll die!" Conrad's voice was hoarse with worry, proving once again that the old bond between the two brothers was still present.

"I have a duty to protect my king!" Wolfram cried, his voice painful to listen to. Unbidden, Yuuri felt the sting of tears prick his eyes.

"Wolfram, just turn back!" The dark-haired boy found himself begging. "Forget about us! Just, please, turn around!"

"I won't fail you!" Wolfram croaked out, his face beginning to turn black from the smoke. The blond's head fell down to rest against the grass and for a moment Yuuri feared that he had already passed out.

But the Wolfram began shaking his head, mumbling something that the dark-haired boy couldn't make out. Then to Yuuri's amazement the blond slowly pushed himself to his knees. Wolfram's green eyes met Yuuri's dark ones and held, focusing on the king completely as he unsteadily pushed himself to his feet, as shaky as a newborn colt.

"I won't fail…." Wolfram muttered as if in a trance, swaying slightly.

"Wolfram…" Conrad was fighting his bonds now, a desperate note in his voice that made Yuuri's panic deepen. Before he knew it, he too was struggling against the ropes, urged on by a sudden need to be at the blond boy's side.

"Conrad…." Wolfram's face was etched in an agony that the dark-haired boy didn't think had anything to do with physical pain. "Yuuri…" Tears slid down the noble's face, creating glistening stripes through the soot. "I'm sorry…."

Yuuri didn't even hear his own scream as he watched Wolfram's eyes roll up into his head before the slender boy collapsed back onto the ground. This time, the blond didn't get back up.

"Wolfram! Wolfram!" Yuuri strained against his bonds desperately, the ropes cutting into his skin.

Yuuri heard a snap as one of the ropes holding Conrad bound broke under the strain. But it was too little too late for Yuuri, who watched with wild eyes as the lava slowly reached out its molten hands towards his fiancé.

"NO!" Yuuri screamed; his vision tunneling until Wolfram was all he could see.

Conrad was startled from his struggled by a sudden harsh wind blowing across the clearing, tossing his brown hair into his eyes. The sky above began to darken with clouds, casting a shadow over the trio and causing the lava around them to glow eerily bright.

"The devotion that boy has shown is not worth a death such as this." Conrad heard Yuuri speak slowly in a voice that was not his own. Thunder rumbled across the sky and the wind increased to a deafening howl.

"I will not let nature cause harm to anyone this day, whether they be human or demon!" The Maou cried out in a booming voice that caused the very heavens to open up with heavy sheets of rain and an arc of lightning to strike into the stake that held them captive.

Conrad winced reflexively, but no pain came from the strike. The soldier felt an unearthly energy flow across his body before centering on the ropes wrapped tightly across his chest. The thick bindings came suddenly alive, unwinding like snakes as they unfurled outward into the air.

The rope snakes swayed and hissed like their living counterparts, hovering above the line of hoseki that surrounded them. Striking suddenly, the ropes struck, flinging the stones out into the steaming bed of lava, which was slowly hardening under the freezing attack of rainfall.

As if his body was acting on its own orders, Conrad dashed forward, quickly grasping his younger brother's fallen form and dragging it back from the still smoldering line of molten rock. Glancing up at the glowing form of the Maou, Conrad saw the great being nod in approval before the light around him faded, bleeding once more into the normal form of their king.

Conrad quickly moved to catch the boy as Yuuri fell backwards. Conrad slumped unwillingly to the ground, his legs refusing to support him. Staring down at his two unconscious charges, being soaked by the still pouring rain and surrounded by cooling lava, the half-human shook his head.

"And just how am I supposed to carry you both back to New Mazoku?" he sighed fondly, clutching the boys in a protective grip.

UOAMAOU


	2. Chapter 2

Trial of Fire  
By: AstroKender  
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou  
Pairings: Future Yuuri/Wolfram  
Warnings: Rated T for light violence angst, and adult situations.  
Spoilers: Murata Ken's identity.  
Notes: Unusually mopey Wolfram in this chapter, followed by cavity inducing mush. Apologies for the swiftness of this chapter's turnaround, but it's all in purpose of advancing the plot. I hope I kept it believable.

Chapter Two

The sudden crack of thunder jerked Yuuri awake with a gasp. Sitting up quickly, the dark-haired boy fisted his bed-covers in confusion. How had he gotten back to the castle? What happened to the village? Where was Conrad? Yuuri wracked his brain, trying to recall memories that were no more substantial than the wind that was rattling his windows.

He had turned into the Maou again, somehow preventing the rush of lava from reaching the humans' village. But this wasn't his first emergence from unconsciousness. Yuuri was almost positive he had woken up once before, when the sky was still dark and the onslaught of wind and rain stung his face.

Yuuri remembered looking up into clear blue eyes; remembered being reassured by a ready smile.

But he also remembered moving quickly, as if desperate to get somewhere. Galloping hooves thundered in his ears. He remembered looking over and seeing a grim expression on Conrad's face; remembered him clutching a slight form protectively against the rain.

Yuuri remembered seeing blond hair plastered against a corpse-white face; remembered a deep well of panic, before darkness swept him under once more.

Rubbing his face, Yuuri frantically dispelled the images. Jumping out of a disturbingly empty bed, the dark-haired boy darted towards the door and out of the room, his bare feet slapping across the stone floor. A cold ache clutched at his chest, urging him faster, down the stairs and past a dozen hallways. To a door accented by a strip of thick carpet. A door of which behind often contained a desk loaded with a pile of paperwork and deceptively stern face.

No one looked up as Yuuri burst through the door. Gunter shot a quick look of relief Yuuri's way, before turning his eyes grimly back to the towering man in the center of the room. Gwendel's frown merely deepened as he faced two figures sitting rigidly before the patch of floor where he paced. Taking a deep breath, the dark-haired man continued the dressing down he had apparently been in the midst of.

"It was foolish to go off to a human village without the proper amount of back up."

"I was following his Majesty's orders." Conrad spoke softly.

"His Majesty is the King, of course. But you are his protector. It is your job to see that he is safe from harm. A job in which you failed miserably yesterday. If Yozak hadn't been in the area…."

Conrad bowed his head repentantly. "It will not happen again." He said.

Gwendel stared at him for a long moment. "See that it doesn't." He motioned to the half-blood that he was free to go, but Conrad chose not to move. Giving an almost inaudible sigh, Gwendel turned his wrath to the figure sitting one seat over.

"And you," he began, pointing his finger out accusingly as his voice—if possible—got even harsher. "Just what did you think you were doing?" he demanded.

"Wolfram was only trying to rescue his Majesty—" Conrad began, after his younger brother chose to remain silent.

"Shut up!" Gwendel commanded without looking away from the blond boy slumping under his stare. "Do you have a death wish?"

Wolfram still refused to speak. Eyes narrowing, Gwendel's palm suddenly arced down in a stinging slap against the boy's right cheek. "Answer me!"

Yuuri's eyes widened and he quickly stepped forward in protest, only to find Gunter materialized at his side, a restraining hand on his shoulder. Biting his lip, the dark-haired boy turned to watch the rest of the scene unfold.

"Well?" Gwendel was crossing his arms expectantly.

"No, Brother…" Wolfram's whisper was almost swallowed by the storm still raging outside.

" 'No' what?"

"I do not wish to die…." Wolfram's voice was slightly louder now and more firm, but it still betrayed him by cracking. Hearing him, Yuuri's fists clenched reflexively.

Gwendel's face softened slightly, letting slip the pent-up worry their little adventure must have caused. "Good." He sighed wearily.

"May I go now?" Wolfram asked quietly, his head still bowed.

The dark-haired man looked as if he were searching for some reason to protest, but in the end simply nodded his head. "Go get yourself cleaned up." He ordered.

"Yes, Brother."

Yuuri quickly dredged up a friendly smile for the blonde as he rose from his seat, but to his shock, Wolfram did not even look at him as he passed by. Eyes down, the young aristocrat merely mumbled a pardon as he pushed between Yuuri and Gunter. He walked through the still open door and silently disappeared down the hall.

Yuuri turned to follow him, but was halted by a voice that had the force of solid steel.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

Yuuri turned towards Gwendel, a nervous smile wavering across his face. "I'm sorry I interrupted anything, I'll just be on my way now—"

"SIT."

Yuuri's shoulders slumped as he trudged over to the seat Wolfram had just recently vacated. He supposed it was a given that he was going to be yelled at too. Sighing heavily, the dark-haired boy sent a pleading glance Conrad's way, silently asking him to do what he --for the moment—could not.

Conrad smiled at him kindly, easily erasing some of Yuuri's worry. "I will go talk to him." He whispered conspiratorially, before excusing himself and hastily leaving the room.

Yuuri's answering smile soon faded as the towering figure before him irritably cleared his throat. Staring up at Gwendel with what he hoped was a properly contrite expression; he prepared himself for a brutal tongue-lashing.

Though, all through the older nobleman's tirade, Yuuri's mind couldn't help but wander to a certain blond and the hollow look he had glimpse in those down-turned eyes.

uoamaou

It was nearly an hour later before Yuuri was free to venture the halls once more. Conrad had been leaning casually against the wall across from the door to Gwendel's office and straightened when he saw Yuuri walk through.

"He's going though a bit of self-recrimination at the moment." Conrad said softly. Yuuri didn't need to ask who 'he' was. "He's currently in the baths, if you wish to go to him."

Yuuri shifted restlessly, his mind clouded with indecision. Part of him thought it best to give the young noble his privacy, while the other half just desperately wanted to talk with Wolfram, which was unusual in itself considering his record of avoiding the brash prince. But the parting look on the blond's face twisted something in Yuuri's gut, and the dark-haired boy found himself needing to make sure his friend was okay.

"Thanks, Conrad." Yuuri spoke gratefully as he turned towards the direction of the royal baths.

"Yuuri!" Conrad's hand darted out, stopping further progress.

Yuuri looked questioningly up into the soldier's eyes, seeing them shadowed and unsure. Conrad searched Yuuri's face silently for a long moment before breaking into a small smile, apparently finding what it was he sought.

"Good luck." He said simply.

Nodding, the king was soon jogging down the hall at a measured pace quite different from the mad dash down the corridor just a short time earlier. Past the wide-eyed figure of Anissa and the whispering trio of maids, past the main hall and down the left corridor, where tendrils of steam and the ever-present scent of perfume lingered.

Sliding across the moisture-slick floor, Yuuri nearly plowed into the wall before halting himself. Yuuri quickly tried to even out his breathing as he braced himself to enter what could quite possibly be the lion's den. There was a great possibility that Wolfram didn't even want to see him and the Maou had to prepare to dodge whatever flying projectiles might be in the blond's reach.

"Who's there?" A harsh voice demanded.

And so the lion roars, Yuuri thought to himself nervously.

"Ah. It's me." Yuuri called out awkwardly.

Silence greeted his announcement.

"I'm, uh…I'm coming in, okay?"

Stepping through the heavily beaded curtain, Yuuri paused to let his eyes adjust to the dim candlelight. The first thing he picked out from the darkness was Wolfram's pale form, half-submerged in the steaming water. The blond's back was towards him, glowing like some sort of ghost. As Yuuri watched, the young prince scrubbed frantically at his eyes.

"What do you want?" Wolfram muttered, his voice unnaturally thick.

"I came to see how you were." Yuuri told him earnestly, feeling that if he beat around the subject, Wolfram would immediately send him away.

"Well as you can see I'm fine." The blond muttered bitterly, still choosing not to turn around.

Yuuri stepped closer, slowly, as one would approach a bird about to take flight. The dark-haired boy stopped only when his feet reached the lip of the bath. Looking around the room, Yuuri rubbed his arm absently. He felt nervous, in this intimate atmosphere. Yuuri's eyes kept darting back to the slender figure in the midst of the water.

"Are you really?" He asked finally.

"I'm worthless!" Wolfram burst out suddenly, unable to hold it in any longer. "A complete failure." The blond slapped the water angrily; sending ripples bouncing across the previously glasslike surface.

"What?" Yuuri's eyes widened. "Why?"

Wolfram's shoulders drooped as he attempted to sink himself deeper in the water. "I couldn't save you." He murmured. "I wasn't strong enough."

"Wolfram…"

Two glistening drops of liquid fell from the blond's face to merge with the gleaming water in the pool below. Another handful of other drops soon followed, committing suicide as they were swallowed up by the bath. Even amid the steam, it was easy to discern the telltale shaking of Wolfram's shoulders.

Seeing the normally feisty boy so forlorn broke something within Yuuri. Something that had held him back time after time, at every little show of affection from the blond. But he just couldn't hold back this time. The awkwardness of being engaged against his will, to a boy that was as domineering as he was beautiful; all of that didn't matter this time. The only thing that concerned Yuuri right now was the fact that one of his friends…one of his best friends…maybe even more than a friend….

Before he knew it, Yuuri was in the water—still fully clothed—wrapping his arms around Wolfram in a tight embrace that he couldn't have loosened even had he wanted to.

Wolfram's head craned around to stare at him, his green eyes wide with shock. "Yu-yuuri?" the blond stuttered, his pale face flushing as if with fever.

"You idiot. I was so damn worried about you…" Yuuri mumbled brokenly against Wolfram's shoulder, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. "I thought—I thought…."

"Yuuri…" Wolfram's cloudy expression cleared and he finally let himself relax, melting back into the Maou's embrace.

"I'm sorry—" Wolfram began, but he was quickly hushed as Yuuri's arms tightened.

How long the two stood like that, neither knew, only that time seemed to stand still for a short eternity as water and steam and warmth surrounded them. Yuuri felt himself nuzzling Wolfram's shoulder as his hands traced the length of the slender boy's arms. How does a boy with such a sharp tongue keep the rest of his body as soft as silk?

Except for his hands, Yuuri discovered as he entwined his fingers in Wolfram's own. The blond's hands were heavily callused from many hours of welding a sword, proving, for all his soft appearances, the boy was still a soldier. Yuuri buried his head in the crook of Wolfram's neck; slowly breathing in the scent that constantly haunted his pillows.

A small part of Yuuri wondered why he hadn't done this long ago; why had he let his prejudices keep him from getting too close to someone who so obviously cared so much about him? The rest of Yuuri was just basking in the feeling of finally feeling at home in such a strange and upside down world.

Wolfram slowly turned about in his fiancé's relaxed embrace. Staring into Yuuri's dark eyes, the nobleman struggled for something to say. Yuuri gazed at the blond's too pale face—darkened only by the blooming bruise across the right cheek—and at the wide eyes surrounded by dark shadows and tinged red from tears. At that moment Yuuri couldn't think of one woman more beautiful than the ethereal figure in his arms.

His hand lifted of its own violation, tracing the blue stain across the aristocrat's jaw. As if hypnotized, Yuuri's face bent closer to the other's --his eyes still open-- until their lips touched.

There were no fireworks to mark the giving away of his first kiss. No fanfare holy music played. But the slightly blurry face in front of his almost seemed to glow with happiness and Yuuri discovered—much to his own surprise—that that itself felt better than any game winning grand slam homerun.

Yuuri smiled into the kiss when he finally felt Wolfram's arms rise up to return his embrace. He was slowly opening his mouth to deepen the kiss when a familiar voice called out from the bath's entrance.

"Your Majesty, dinner is ready to be served." Gunter announced from behind the shield of the beaded curtain.

Yuuri jumped backwards as if burned, suddenly realizing whom he was holding, and at what stage of undress said individual was. With a squawk, Wolfram fell face first into the water. Yuuri winced. Oh, how he was going to get it for that one.

"Your Majesty?" Gunter called out. "Do you require any assistance?"

"No, Gunter." Yuuri called out quickly, patting his choking and sputtering fiancé on the back. "I'll be there shortly."

"Are you sure, Your Majesty? Because if you need someone to scrub your back, I would happily volunteer for the job." Gunter practically sang the words out.

"NO!" Yuuri shouted out, staring worriedly at Wolfram's ever-reddening face. "Er, thanks anyway."

"Very well, Your Majesty." Gunter's voice was tinged with disappointment before the sounds of departing footsteps echoed down the hall.

Yuuri gave Wolfram an embarrassed smile as he scratched at the back of his head. "I—"

With a frightening war cry, the blonde suddenly attacked. Yuuri found himself dunked under the water, small hands as strong as steel bobbing his head up and down like the morning wash.

After a long minute he was yanked back up and, just when he could breath again, he found his mouth crushed against a pliant and hungry set of lips that seemed intent on devouring him. But just as Yuuri resigned himself to enjoying the attack, the blond suddenly jerked back. Yuuri grumbled and tried to pull the boy back, but Wolfram would have none of it.

"What's wrong?" Yuuri blinked in confusion, his cheeks an adorable shade of red.

"We should get out." Wolfram muttered, quickly tugging him to the edge of the bath.

"But why?" Yuuri resisted. He hadn't enjoyed a bath so much since….

Realization dawned on him. Seeing the look Wolfram nodded.

"Right. And if you think I'm gonna let you get flushed away back to your world at this point, you've got another thing coming." He threatened. Yuuri gulped reflexively and quickly waded across the bath.

"Maybe you're right." Yuuri stated as he trudged soggily up the submerged steps. "Baths like this could be dangerous.

Catching sight of Wolfram's nude form as the blond dug around for a towel, Yuuri swallowed again.

"Very dangerous…" he murmured.

uoamaou

_'Dear mom,'_ Yuuri wrote in his head.

_'Guess what? You son (me, that is) just found out he's gay. Well, not _gay_, gay but… well, I like this boy. Well, actually I'm engaged to him. Heh, I guess you'll get to see me in that wedding dress after all. Although my intended has as much a penchant for crossdressing as you, so perhaps I could convince him—'_

"Don't tell me you're going to dinner like that." Wolfram demanded, breaking into Yuuri's mental ramblings.

Yuuri looked at Wolfram—now fully clothed—and down at himself, standing in dripping wet pajamas. The dark-haired boy laughed at himself. How silly he probably looked!

"I don't suppose you can help me sneak back to my room?" Yuuri grinned cheekily as he realized they would have to pass the dining hall in order to return to his bedroom, where his only spare clothes awaited.

Wolfram arched a delicate eyebrow. "You're the one who never thinks before he acts." Turning his back, the blonde passed his fingers through his wet hair in a vain effort to remove the tangles. "This should be a good lesson for you." He tossed back in a superior voice.

"Oh really…?" Yuuri growled. The nerve! Chuckling darkly, the dark-haired boy quickly crept up behind his over-confident fiancé and wrapped his arms firmly around the other's middle.

"Eww, Yuuri! You're wet! I—hey! What are you doing? Put me down! Put me down this instant or I swear Yuuri I'll—"

SPLASH.

"_YUURI!"_

uoamaou

"What was that?" Gunter's head shot up as he stared about the dining hall.

Conrad smiled behind his wineglass. "I _wonder_…" he murmured.

UOAMAOU


	3. Chapter 3

Trial of Fire  
By: AstroKender  
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou  
Pairings: Yuuri/Wolfram  
Warnings: Rated T for light violence angst, and adult situations.  
Spoilers: Murata Ken's identity.  
Notes: Sorry for the long delay. Two year olds are not patient enough to let mommy write. Some plot sewed in here, along with some lovely patches of Yuuramness.

Chapter Three

The two boys made their appearance in the dining hall a short time later, sporting fresh clothes, damp hair and twin stains of red hovering across their cheeks. The others had already started into their meals so the two hurriedly slipped into chairs across from one another and began eating, their eyes focused entirely on their plates.

The only conversation that passed between Yuuri and Wolfram was a whispered request for the salt or to pass the basket of rolls. But --while silent-- they gave out the impression that they both were exchanging a novels worth of words with the sneaking glances and shy smiles that were shot across the table. This was definitely not the explosive dinner atmosphere the others were used to.

Cheri, most accustomed to the ways of love, giggled delightedly behind her napkin, causing Gunter to look over at her in confusion; a look that Greta, sitting across from him, shared. Gwendel sent a dark frown down the table, before continuing his conversation with Anissa. The redhead herself didn't seem to notice anything amiss as she was buried up to her elbows in maps and charts, trying to update Gwendel while maneuvering a forkful of filleted beef to her mouth. Conrad, sitting beside Yuuri, merely smiled to himself before sending his younger half-brother a mischievous wink, causing Wolfram to blush and send a dark glare back at him.

"One moment Anissa…" Gwendel spoke up suddenly, his deep voice stopping all movement in the room. "His majesty should hear this too."

Yuuri squirmed under the sudden onset of many sets of eyes. "Can't it wait till after dinner?" he asked reluctantly. Good news never seemed to grace this dining table.

Gwendel just stared at him.

A bead of sweat formed atop Yuuri's brow. "Eheheheh… I'm all ears, Anissa…."

The stunning yet eccentric scientist gracefully got to her feet as she shuffled her papers into a manageable pile. Flipping her ponytail over her shoulder, the redhead stared at the young Maou with serious eyes. Yuuri swallowed in dread.

"Recent information has caused me to believe that the volcano eruption yesterday was not an isolated incident."

"What?" Wolfram exclaimed. "But you said—"

"I know what I said!" Anissa scowled delicately. "And this is what I'm saying now. This will happen again. I need more time to determine exactly where, but anywhere along the range of the Schuld Mountains could become a potential deathtrap."

Yuuri shot to his feet. "We have to warn everyone."

"And just who would we warn?" Gwendel scoffed. "The entire eastern edge of New Mazoku? That would just incite unnecessary panic."

"But people could be killed!" Yuuri cried.

"Your Highness…." Conrad murmured, placing his hand upon Yuuri's shoulder: both restraining and comforting all at once. "Gwendel does not speak from cruelty. If we attempted to prematurely evacuate everyone near the mountain range, the results could cause more injuries than the possible—"

"Imminent." Anissa broke in.

Conrad shot her a look. "—eruption."

Gwendel sighed and his shoulders slumped a fraction, showing that he didn't like the recent turn of events any more than the rest of them. All through dinner he hadn't even touched the food on his plate. Giving the older Mazoku a sympathetic look, Anissa piped in with some additional information.

"If the storm caused by the—ah, little Maou incident yesterday—"

Yuuri winced at the reproachful rumble of thunder.

"--Continues with this strength, any eruption of minimal to average intensity is sure to quickly halted before causing too much destruction." Anissa finished in a rush, before falling back into her chair and gulping down her glass of wine.

Greta, almost lost in the discussion of adult things that children weren't meant to listen to or understand, rose her voice to call out across the table the question that was silently floating through everyone else's minds.

"What if it's a big explosion?"

Anissa stared levelly at some point between Yuuri and Conrad's shoulders.

"Then we had better hope that we can learn where it will happen before it's too late."

UOAMAOU

The rest of dinner passed in awkward silence as Cheri announced that any more such talk about disasters and destruction was banned from the dinner table. Yuuri once again stared down at his plate, though this time the smile was absent from his face and he seemed to be pushing his food around on his plate more than actually eating it. Wolfram had given up all pretense of eating entirely, choosing instead to stare with worried eyes at his fiancé.

Yuuri finally opened his mouth to speak as dessert was brought to the table. But his only words were to ask to be excused from the table. The dark-haired boy left before anyone had the mind to protest. Wolfram rose from his seat seconds later, heading for the door without a word.

Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Conrad quickly excused himself and hurried after the blond, leaving the rest of the dinner party to stare at each other with worried frowns.

"Wolfam, wait!" Conrad's long legs swiftly caught up to the shorter stride of his younger brother.

Wolfram didn't even spare the other man a glance. "What is it, Weller?" the blond muttered distractedly.

Conrad's eyes narrowed and he suddenly halted in his tracks. "So we're back to Weller now?" he observed grimly.

Wolfram stopped cold, but didn't turn around. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "But Yuuri—"

"He'll be fine. I know you two have grown close." Conrad stated gently as he approached the young prince for the second time. The half-human's hand lifted to rest lightly on Wolfram's shoulders. "And you should be there to support him, I agree."

Wolfram's head cocked to the side slightly, indicating that he was listening.

"But," Conrad spoke slowly and clearly. "You two have yet to wed. Until you both officially exchange your vows, you should be sure to exercise caution when you are alone with his majesty. Perhaps you should consider sleeping in separate rooms?"

Conrad felt Wolfram's shoulder stiffen under his grip. "You want me to stay away from Yuuri?" he asked coldly, his voice clipped.

"No, I just want you to remember your position."

"And what position is that?" Wolfram growled out, jerking from his brother's grasp. "I am the Maou's fiancé. It is perfectly acceptable for us to be together."

"It's forbidden to be intimate with the Maou until you are wed."

"I know that!" the blond snapped, his face flaming. "What kind of floozy do you take me for that I would give myself up so wantonly?"

Conrad smiled and rested his hand atop Wolfram's soft crown of hair. "You are a Mazoku in love, and that is a more than acceptable in my eyes. But our laws are not so kind. I didn't set out to upset you, Wolfram. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I thank you for your concern but I'm more than capable of restraining my baser urges, as if it were even an issue." Wolfram scuffed his boot along the floor irritably. Conrad smiled and moved his arm down until he had his brother in a half-embrace.

"Don't worry," he whispered mischievously into the blond's ear. "He loves you too."

"Oh, shut up…" Wolfram scowled, even as his face turned pink. Conrad's arm tightened playfully across his shoulders. "Grr…" Wolfram growled as his tried to squirm away. "Let go of me! Conrad!"

"There," After a final, brotherly squeeze, Conrad mercifully let his captive go. "That wasn't so hard was it?"

"You're an ass, Weller." Wolfram growled as he fitfully straightened his uniform.

Conrad gave a light laugh.

"I love you too."

UOAMAOU

Wolfram cast yet another sideways glance in Yuuri's direction. The Maou had already changed into his nightclothes, though he had yet to retire to the bed. Instead the dark haired boy sat slumped over on a small stool near the windowsill, as he stared broodingly out at the rainy and unforgiving sky. Wolfram sighed softly and pulled his pink nightgown from the dresser. The blond took a steadying breath.

"Would you like to be alone tonight?" he asked, bunching the blush-colored material protectively against his chest. "I wouldn't get mad, if that's what you're thinking."

Yuuri jerked slightly, as if his thoughts had been far away. The young king turned confused eyes towards his fiancé. "Huh?"

"Well," Wolfram admitted gruffly as he looked at some point above the other boy's head. "Maybe I'd be a little mad."

Yuuri's brain eventually provided the earlier part of the conversation as Wolfram stood before him, more tense and on edge than usual. Although he tried his best to hide it. It seemed that the blond was holding his breath, waiting for the words that would toss him out like last week's laundry. Really, Wolfram had to be one of the most insecure people Yuuri knew.

"I don't know…" the dark-haired boy began, his voice drawled out contemplatively.

Wolfram's eyes trailed hesitantly down to meet Yuuri's own. Yuuri gave him a warm, reassuring smile, the kind that Wolfram had only recently seen directed his way. The blond clutched his nightgown tighter.

"Even though you kick like a wild colt," Yuuri teased. "I think it'd be weird if you weren't here with me." He answered earnestly.

Wolfram quickly smothered his own smile with a noncommittal grunt. "Fine. I'll just go change then." He announced before disappearing swiftly behind the dressing screen.

When Wolfram emerged --clad in fluttering waves of linen and lace—Yuuri had already turned down the bed and was sitting comfortably on it. The dark-haired boy gave Wolfram a lop-sided smile before patting the empty space next to him. Wolfram's heart did a little flip-flop at the invitation.

Blushing to his roots, the blond swiftly padded across the plush carpet and slid between the covers, pulling the comforter protectively up to his nose. Maybe this was what Conrad was talking about. Could Yuuri really be biding his time, ready to ravish him as soon as his guard was down? Yuuri's head bent closer to Wolfram's own and the noble squeaked in alarm.

Yuuri's breath ghosted the other boy's face as his lips came down to claim Wolfram's forehead in a light peck.

"Goodnight, Wolfram." Yuuri murmured, before quickly retreating to his own side of the bed, safely ensconced in his covers in a manner quite similar to the blond. The two lay staring up at the ceiling as an awkward silence drifted over them.

"Uh, Yuuri?" Wolfram began, after a few minutes of listening to each other breathe.

Yuuri stiffened and nervously turned to face his intended. "Y-yes?" Dark eyes stared at the other's lips, transfixed.

"You left the candles lit." Wolfram deadpanned.

"Oops!" Yuuri sat up, a blush staining endearingly across his nose.

Shifting to his knees, Yuuri leaned carefully over Wolfram, fumbling for the extinguisher that lay on the blond's nightstand. Unconsciously, Yuuri gazed between his arms to see Wolfram staring up at him; his eyes soft and his face tinged the same pink as his nightgown. Wolfram hesitatingly lowered his covers as he licked his lips nervously.

Yuuri panicked. His finger's closing about the candle snuffer's thin metal, Yuuri jerked quickly backwards, accidentally pulling a large bottle along with it.

"Ahh! _Yuuri_!" Wolfram cried as he was suddenly doused in cold liquid. The odd smelling fluid quickly soaked into the blond's clothing as well as the bedcovers around him.

"Crap." Yuuri muttered as he swiftly attempted to right the bottle. Too late though, as all the contents had already emptied onto his irate fiancé. "I'm sorry Wolfram."

"You better hope this washes out. This is my favorite nightgown, you idiot!" Wolfram seethed as he tried to scrub the oily stuff off with a corner of the blanket.

"I said I was sorry." Yuuri muttered. "What is this stuff, anyway? This wasn't here before."

Yuuri turned the bottle around in his hands, revealing a small, white piece of paper. "Hey, a note!"

"Let me see." Wolfram quickly yanked the parchment away. Green eyes scanned quickly across the page. The blond's face paled, and Yuuri felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Snatching the note away, the dark-haired boy hurriedly scanned the contents.

'_To my Dearest Wolf,_

_Congratulations finally snaring the Maou's affection. I just knew that a son as beautiful as me would have no problem reeling in the men. Please enjoy this special gift --it's very potent if you catch my meaning._

Love, Mama' 

"Oh, _shit_…." Yuuri breathed out, using a word his mother would no doubt slap him for. The oil's scent had hit him fully now, causing a squirming feeling to take life in his stomach. Dark eyes rose to meet Wolfram's fearfully.

"Damn you, Mother…" Wolfram mumbled out, his eyes already glazing over.

UOAMAOU

"What are you so pleased about?" Gwendel muttered as Cheri giggled to herself for what had to be the fifth time.

"Nothing, nothing…." Cheri beamed as she spun the stem of her wineglass.

Gwendel stared at her suspiciously before turning back to gaze out the window, where the storm still ravaged on. Shaking his head, the grim-faced Mazoku wearily dropped his guard. Hand splaying across the window's cool glass, he stared at his mother's reflection.

"If this kingdom is to survive, our Maou is going to have to grow up. Snap decisions like yesterday is only going to get himself—and others—hurt. He's got to learn to look at the greater picture."

"King Yuuri is ruled by his heart, not his head, Gwendel. That is not necessarily a bad thing." Cheri chastised lightly.

Gwendel scowled. "I feel uneasy letting our future rest on the shoulders of a boy. He needs to grow up and be a man already, someone who can actually lead this country."

The tall noble turned around as his mother's husky chuckles. Raising his eyebrow, Gwendel watched Cheri lift her wineglass in a silent toast.

"Gwendel, dear. Those were my thoughts exactly."

UOAMAOU

Outside, the raging storm suddenly stopped.


	4. Chapter 4

Trial of Fire  
By: AstroKender  
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou  
Pairings: Future Yuuri/Wolfram  
Warnings: Rated T for light violence angst, and adult situations.  
Spoilers: Murata Ken's identity.  
Notes: …and the angst begins.

Chapter Four

"Yes, my Lord Shinou. I will send for him at once." Ulrike's head bowed submissively before the bas-relief centered on the temple wall. Three of the four forbidden boxes sat below it, appearing at once both innocent and menacing.

"I understand." The priestess's voice was so soft that the echoing silence of the great hall very nearly drowned it out. "All will be as you wish it."

The ageless girl once more listened to the silent instructions, her eyes widening slightly before closing in unquestioning acceptance.

"Yes, my Lord." Ulrike bowed low. "I will make sure the Great Sage does not interfere…"

uoamaou

"Owww…my head…." Yuuri struggled weakly into a sitting position. The dark-haired boy raised a shaking hand to gingerly cup his forehead, afraid that his skull would shatter with any sudden movement. Yuuri reluctantly pried one eye open, only barely making out the blurry shapes and colors that made up his bedroom.

After a couple of minutes of staring blankly through one eye until the world finally regained focus, Yuuri carefully removed his hand from his head. When the Maou was certain his ailing cranium wasn't going to be attacked by miniature wolframs (holding baseball bats) he carefully toed one foot out of his rumpled nest of blankets.

The stone floor was cold; near freezing to Yuuri's clouded mind. Almost to the point that he almost gave up getting out of bed entirely, if it meant being amble to snuggle back into the warm and sweet-smelling linens of his bed.

Sweet-smelling?

That thought gave Yuri pause. Normally his blankets didn't hold such a flowery perfume. They always smelled clean, of course. The maids in the castle did their jobs well, after all. But only the lingering smell of soap usually remained after the bedclothes were laundered.

Shrugging, Yuuri shoved the matter to some dusty corner of his mind. Perhaps the maids had just changed detergents. With a backbreaking stretch, Yuuri hopped out of bed. And immediately felt a noticeable draft.

Glancing down, Yuuri's face quickly drained of color, before suddenly lighting up like a Christmas tree. Stammering like a fool, the dark-haired boy hurriedly swiveled around on his heels and dived head-first back down into the covers. Eyes tightly closed, Yuuri prayed that this was just one of his crazy dreams, like the one where he found himself playing baseball in his underwear. His hands shot out; grabbing at the first thing they met and pulling it against him like a security blanket.

"Hnnn….Yuuri?" A groggy voice muttered out from the other side of his protective cocoon of covers.

The warm object in his arms shifted and Yuuri yelped. Biting his lip, the dark-haired boy slowly ran his hands across the appendage, with was quickly revealing itself to be a sizeable portion of Wolfram's milky smooth leg. With a nervous gulp, Yuuri's head slowly emerged from the blankets.

Wolfram was sitting up next to him, scratching his head and yawning in a lazy manner. "Is it time for breakfast yet?" the blond mumbled out between a series of smaller yawns.

Yuuri was too busy staring at the nobleman's naked chest to answer. Memories were slowly seeping back to him, and it was enough to make his black hair stand on end. Things were looking less and less dream-like in the harsh light of day.

Wolfram finally turned towards him, one delicate eyebrow raised. "Yuuri, what's--?" the blond paused, his face scrunching up a fraction.

Yuuri held his breath.

"Why does my ass hurt?" Wolfram demanded suddenly. Realization dawned quickly and without mercy. Yuuri wasn't the only one naked under those covers.

Eyes wide, Wolfram stared at the other boy, hoping for some sort of explanation. But Yuuri --face flaming with embarrassment-- quickly switched his gaze to the small stretch of bed between them.

Weird smelling oil, clumsy hands and ripped fabric…the events of last night came back in an earth-tilting flash. Yuuri closed his eyes, as he suddenly remembered little details such as the texture of Wolfram's hair and the taste of his skin. From the sound of the blond's indrawn breath, Yuuri could tell that the other was having a similar experience.

"We—we—" Wolfram stuttered out, his eyes wide.

"Did _it_." Yuuri muttered, bracing himself for the inevitable explosion.

uoamaou

"It is quite unusual for Shinou to send me to Earth by myself." Murata smiled blandly, his eyes squinting up into guileless crescent moons. "Are you sure Shibuya isn't supposed to come along?"

Ulrike kept her gaze steadfast to the floor. "Our Lord's wishes were clear, your Highness." Murata remained silent, so the pale-haired seer continued. "It is his command that you be gone three days. Shinou will not let you return until that time."

"Well, lets hope nothing exciting happens when I'm gone." Murata drawled his words out slowly. Ulrike looked up into the Great Sage's face, her legs suddenly trembling. "I wouldn't be happy if I missed all the fun." Murata stated meaningfully, his blunt words causing the small priestess to flinch slightly.

"Y-your Highness wishes to refuse Shinou's wish?" Ulrike did her best to keep her expression carefully blank.

Murata adjusted his glasses as he stared up into the temple's flying buttresses, and the fading frescos that lay between them. Ulrike held her breath as she awaited the sage's answer—both hope and dread warring in her heart.

The dark-haired boy lowered his head, his smile still plastered peacefully across his face. "Of course not." The Great Sage gave the priestess the slightest of bows. "The Shinou's wish is my command, after all."

The filtered light of the stained-glass windows glinted brightly off Murata's glasses, hiding the slight narrowing of his eyes.

uoamaou

"Y-you…"

"You…pervert!" Wolfram blurted out in an affronted shriek. The blond promptly shoved Yuuri off the bed as he protectively clutched a blanket up to his chest.

"Ow!" Yuuri landed in a sprawl on the cold stone tiles. "Shouldn't I be the one more upset about this, since I never admitted to liking boys to begin with?" The dark-haired boy asked peevishly, fully aware of the current view he was giving his affronted fiancé. Yuuri figured it served the other right for that not-so-gentle shove. Besides, Yuuri thought gloomily, it's not like the blond hadn't already seen it.

Staring at him, Wolfram's face turned beet red and he quickly covered his eyes, unknowingly dropping his shield of cloth and revealing the pale skin of his torso. A torso that was dotted here and there with small red patches that were the exact circumference of Yuuri's mouth.

Yuuri one again stared at those spots, his mouth going dry as memory quickly supplied just how they got there. And if the small stinging of his back was any indication, he didn't get out of the situation unmarked, himself. Suddenly a bit more self-conscious, Yuuri quickly reached over and pulled one of the sheets out of Wolfram's hoarded pile, using it to cover himself up as best as he could.

"Ch-cheater!" Wolfram pointed at him accusingly as he peeked through the fingers of his left hand.

Yuuri rolled his eyes as he painstakingly pulled himself to his feet. Now _his_ butt was hurting, though thankfully not for the same reason as his partner's. "I can't cheat on you with _you_, Wolfram."

"Debaucher!" the blond shouted out angrily, causing Yuuri to take offense.

"I don't remember you complaining last night!" Yuuri bit out harshly. "So don't act like I forced you!" The dark-haired boy immediately regretted his words, though, as he watched Wolfram's lower lip quiver just slightly.

"Ah, Wolf, I'm sorry." Yuuri scratched at the back of his head apologetically. "I-I didn't mean it."

"No…" Wolfram muttered. "You're right. I'm such a fool." The blond dropped his head onto his upraised knees, his muffled voice couched in misery. "I've broken the first law of being the Maou's betrothed."

Yuuri frowned. "What law?" Sitting back onto the bed, the dark-haired boy forced the other to look at him. Staring into Wolfram's dejected face, Yuuri gasped.

"What happened to your eyes?" The half-Mazoku demanded. He quickly bent closer to stare into the noble's dull eyes. "They've turned gray!"

Wolfram gazed back at him, a sardonic smirk ghosting across his face. "So have yours."

Yuuri's hand flew reflexively to up his face, before grabbing the blond's shoulders in a firm grip. Wolfram's skin was still slick from the oil's leftover residue. Yuuri swallowed hard, trying to ignore the burning ember that slowly flared to life in his stomach.

"What's going on, Wolfram?" he asked, feeling desperate for some unknown reason. Something wasn't right and he was scared. "What law did we break? What's happening to us?"

Eyes clouded, Wolfram quickly dragged Yuuri's face down to meet his in a crushing kiss. Yuuri's stomach was doing little flip-flops in his belly. The dark-haired boy noted with an alien sort of attachment how his hands slowly left Wolfram's shoulders to trail lightly down the blond's bare back.

Wolfram jerked away suddenly, his teeth scrapping painfully across Yuuri's tongue in the process. Panting, the blond rested his head against the Maou's chest. His arms wrapped around Yuuri in an embrace that was part intimate—part restraining.

"Mother's oil…" Wolfram panted out in a way that made Yuuri more than aware of their state of undress. "We need to wash it off before we loose control again."

"You're right…" Yuuri muttered. Unable to help himself, his fingers slowly danced up his lover's side, before crossing over and grasping tightly at the fine haired at the base of the blond's skull. "It's not as strong as last night…" Yuuri's lips moved slowly across Wolfram's jaw. "But I'm still definitely feeling _something_." He whispered in the blond's ear, causing Wolfram to shiver.

"Your Majesty," The bedroom door echoed out a light-knuckled rap, causing both boys to freeze just as quickly as if they were douse with ice water.

"You didn't have much dinner last night so Gun-Gun brought you his specially made breakfast." There was a slight pause, filled with naughty innuendo. "I would be happy to feed you some. Personally, of course."

A drop of sweat formed on each of their brows as the two boys listened to Gunter's sing-song voice. Yuuri's eye twitched slightly upon hearing the lavender-haired man's self-imposed nickname. Beside him, Wolfram growled.

"I'll flambé him and his 'special breakfast'…" Wolfram threatened with a clenched fist.

Yuuri struggled to hold the angry boy down as the blond muttered obscenities about purple-haired, fiancé-stealing hussies. Yuuri froze as his sharp ears heard the sound of the door cracking open. The Maou suddenly realized the position they were in. Of all the times to not have turned the lock…

"Your majesty," Gunter's head peeked around the thick-paneled door. "Are you awake?"

Yuuri winced as a heavily-ladened silver tray crashed to the floor. Gunter stared at the two naked figures on the bed, his mouth open, but no sound coming forth. Yuuri belatedly tossed a cover over Wolfram and his self, _his_ mouth already moving to do damage control.

"Now Gunter, I'm sure this looks shocking to you…"

Gunter's face was quickly losing color.

"Trust me, it's not exactly what it looks like. I mean, we weren't have sex right _there_ or anything, _right_ Wolf?" Yuuri tossed his fiancé a meaningful look.

"Of-of course not." Wolfram muttered reluctantly. An evil glint flashed in his eyes before the blonde, unable to help himself, added a tiny bit of clarification. "We had sex last night."

A spurt of blood shot from the long-haired man's nose. Quivering, Gunter pointed a trembling finger at the two. The palace walls suddenly shook with the mighty reverberations of a falsetto shriek before poor Gunter's eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted dead away.

Yuuri spun around to glare at his partner. "Feel better now?" he snapped.

Wolfram crossed his arms defensively and stared haughtily at some invisible point on the ceiling. "Yes." He replied, causing Yuuri to smack himself in the face with his hands.

"That scream is bound to draw some attention, you know." Yuuri sighed out tiredly. "What do you think are chances are of putting some clothes on before that happens?"

"Slim to none…" Wolfram croaked out.

Yuuri stared at Wolfram's rapidly graying face in confusion, before following his fiancé's gaze to the open doorway, where a familiar pair of brown eyes was glaring angrily at them.

"C-conrad…" Yuuri swallowed reflexively.


	5. Chapter 5

Trial of Fire  
By: AstroKender  
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou  
Pairings: Future Yuuri/Wolfram (with a bit of Con/yuu and Con/wolf for fun)  
Warnings: Rated T for light violence, angst, and adult situations. Also, grammar mistakes may about, as I hadn't had the time to proof read this chapter.  
Spoilers: Murata Ken's identity. Hints about Keys.  
Notes: I must apologize for the delay in this fic. It hasn't been abandoned. But between the holidays and moving and toddler juggling, the time to write has been few and far between. Hopefully the next chapter won't be so long in coming.

Chapter Five:

"C-Conrad!" Yuuri quickly put as much space between himself and Wolfram while still being able to stay on the bed. He was sure Conrad's narrowed brown eyes were promising him painful death for the wanton violation his little brother's innocence. Yuuri swallowed nervously, suddenly noticing the family resemblance between his mentor and Gwendel…especially the angry creases around the mouth.

"What in the _hell_ were you two thinking?" Conrad growled; actually _growled, _as he stepped over Gunter's fallen form as though it wasn't even there.

Two white faces stared mutely up at him.

The half-demon shifted his glare to Wolfram, who cringed as if struck. Yuuri let himself relax a fraction; guilty relief sweeping through him that maybe, just _maybe_ Conrad was mad that Wolfram had violated _his_ innocence…

"I thought we talked about this?" Conrad demanded.

"I couldn't help it…" Wolfram muttered.

"Could help it?" Conrad repeated incredulously. His breath expelled slowly in an angry sigh. "I trusted your word, Wolfram." Conrad's voice turned weary and laced with disappointment, causing the blond's head to bow low.

"It wasn't Wolfram's fault." Yuuri quickly spoke up, unable to see the two brothers at such odds after things had finally begun to patch up between them. "It wasn't either of our faults, really. Cheri sent us this bottle…and it spilled…." The Maou trailed off lamely.

"…?" Conrad's hawk-like eyes focused on him and Yuuri swallowed nervously. Never before had the taller man put him so on edge. Not even when he had thought that Conrad had betrayed all of them. Back then he was feeling hurt and confused, now…staring at the intensity of Conrad's expression –and how the cords in his neck were standing out from the unreleased tension—now, Yuuri was just plain scared.

"It was some of Mother's damn oil!" Wolfram burst out angrily, unable to cringe any longer before this man he had so often told himself was below him. "You know the power of that stuff! We couldn't control ourselves!" Wolfram's cheeks flared pink at that last bit, and he darted a sideways glance at Yuuri.

Staring at the two, Conrad slowly took it all in. Sharp eyes quickly noticed an overturned bottle peeking out halfway beneath their bed, its amethyst surface sparkling mischievously in the morning light. Bending low, Conrad scooped the vessel up, cautiously waving the spout beneath his nose for an experimental sniff.

Conrad's eyes darkened as his pupils expanded unnaturally. Clenching his teeth, Conrad abruptly flung the bottle away from him, causing it to smash against the wall and shatter. The two still in bed jumped at the sound, unconsciously pulling closer together.

"Mother…" Conrad breathed the word out like a mix between a curse and a sigh.

Shaking his head to clear it, Conrad strode quickly to the wardrobe and flinging it open, before throwing an arcing rainbow of clothes out onto the bed.

"You two have to get dressed." Conrad ordered over his shoulder as he fished out two knapsacks and began to shove clothes hastily into them. "Now." He clarified when neither of the boys moved. Both Yuuri and Wolfram quickly scrambled to their feet, sharing a confused look as the fought their way into the peasant clothing Conrad had laid out for them.

"Yuuri, you will need your wig and contacts. You are too recognizable without them." Conrad reached over and grabbed Wolfram's arm, making the blond turn around and face him.

"You will need a set of contacts too." Conrad murmured, unconsciously massaging his younger brother's bare shoulder. "One look at your eyes and the whole village will know what happened."

Wide-eyed, Wolfram nodded silently. With a slightly glazed expression, the blond automatically leaned into his brother's touch; practically purring. Feeling his stomach drop to somewhere in the vicinity of his kidneys, Conrad's blunt fingernails inadvertently carved a red trail in the pale skin of Wolfram's neck, earning him a cat like moan in response.

Frowning suddenly, Conrad jerked away. He strode quickly around the bed and over to the window, which he shoved open harshly as he took in great gasping breaths of air. Behind him, Wolfram blinked and shook his head, as if he'd been sleepwalking.

"Conrad…" Yuuri's voice came timidly beneath the muffling folds of fabric. Once his head popped though the neck of his tunic, the dark-haired boy focused the whole of his pleading gaze on his mentor. "Are you mad at us?"

Innocent eyes (faded now to from dusty black to a foggy sort of gray) stared guilelessly up at him, free from any awareness of what just had transpired. Of what _almost_ transpired.

Conrad was well versed to his mother's tricks. And as such he knew it was dangerous to remain so near these two boys with such pheromones floating so heavily in the air. But abandoning them now, while they were mentally so lost and confused… well, that would be unthinkable. Besides, Conrad was a soldier. It would take more than some bottle of perfume to make him do anything that would go against his own code of honor.

"C-conrad?" The name sounded insistent and desperate all at once.

Conrad reached out to cup Yuuri's cheek—thought better of it—and hastily shoved the betraying appendage into his pocket. Instead he graced Yuuri with a warm smile, one that did more to relax Yuuri's fears than words could ever do. "No. I am not angry with either of you. But, I _do_ have to get you both out of here and quickly." Conrad's hand clenched inside the concealing depth of his pocket and he forced a smirk across the lean plains of his jaw. "And, once we are safely away from the castle, you both are to go to the nearest stream and scrub yourselves pink." He commanded, his tone joking but his eyes deadly serious.

If they didn't this already complicated event could quite possibly turn into some deranged three-way that would take a lot of talking to explain away once everyone 'sobered up'.

"But what about Brother?" Wolfram asked as he fought with the ties of his green tunic before sighing and finally letting them hand loose. Which offered both Conrad and Yuuri a fair glimpse of creamy flesh between the gaps of cloth. Staring, Yuuri gave a little moan and hurriedly covered it up by clearing his throat. But Conrad found himself concentrating more on the blond's words than his skin, the direness of the two boys' situation more sobering than all the fresh air in the world.

"We mustn't tell Gwendel anything. If he knew what has happened he'd be forced to…" Conrad trailed off abruptly, his expression dark.

"I'd be forced to do what, exactly?" Gwendel asked archly from the shadows of the doorway. Behind him stood Yozak and Cheri – the latter's expression one of stunned disbelief—and nearly a dozen palace guards.

uoamaou

"Is it true?" Gwendel demanded, his hand clenched tightly around the knob of the door. Yozak, studiously ignored the lot of them, his normally jovial expression grim as he knelt down to shake the fallen Gunter into consciousness. Cheri merely stared silently at the two boys, her face twisted in an expression of one who is about to witness a horrible accident and could in no way prevent it.

Yuuri opened his mouth, prepared to deny everything in the face Gwendel's raw anger, which radiated off the man like a physical force. To his surprise he felt a small hand reach out and grasp his own in a tight but sweaty grip. Wolfram stared forward stoically; though his face had grown so pale it was almost translucent.

"It is." The blond said steadily. "Last night Yuuri and I consummated our relationship." Yuuri felt the grip on his hand tighten for an instant. A reassurance maybe? Or a show of apprehension? Yuuri wondered, all the while pondering on the word 'relationship' and trying desperately to apply it to the recent flurry of events.

"You consummated nothing!" Gwendel's hand slashed out before them like a sword. "You two weren't wed, remember?"

Yuuri fell back a step reflexively, his back bumping into the hard lines of Conrad's chest. Conrad gripped Yuuri's shoulder, offering his silent support. From the corner of his eye Yuuri thought he could see his mentor's other hand move to rest lightly against the small of Wolfram's back; maybe showing his little brother that neither of them was alone in this. Yuuri found himself giving the blond's hand a little squeeze, which caused the appendage to suddenly grip his own in a desperate grip.

Gwendel rubbed his eye as if it pained him to even look at them. "All you've succeeded in doing is destroying your own future!" he spat out before his face seemed to crumple in on itself.

"Why couldn't have you just waited?" To Yuuri's shock there was raw anguish in the dark-haired man's tone. "A wedding would have taken a week, at most, to prepare." Gwendel gaze swept over Yuuri as if he wasn't even there and focused intently on the pale figure beside him. "What possessed you to throw your life away?" Gwendel's voice cracked.

Conrad was suddenly standing in front of them, his arms spread out as if to protect the two boys from his brother's words. "Surely, you are not suggesting that this is a capital offense!" Conrad's own voice was incredulous and strangely tight. "They were engaged for heaven's sake!"

"That was how things were done in the old days, was it not?" Gwendel asked bitterly. He pinned Yuuri with a furious glare. "Of course the Maou of the time seemed to always get away with a slap on the wrist." His glare switched for a millisecond to the silent form of his mother before stabbing back into Yuuri like a knife.

"Why Wolfram, your majesty?" Gwendel's stare seemed to see into Yuuri's very soul, and quite obviously, found it lacking. "Certainly you could have just found some human girl from your own world in which you could have sewn your wild oats." Gwendel spoke accusingly. "Why would you choose to so utterly destroy someone of whom you called a friend? Was it that enjoyable to toy with my brother's feelings?"

"I-I didn't…I…" Yuuri stammered, the word 'destroy' beating against his brain like a trapped bird.

"You are going too far, Gwendel." Conrad's eyes were narrowed dangerously.

"Am I?" Gwendel sneered. "Was I the one prepared to throw away the future of the whole kingdom by smuggling these two out from beneath our noses? What were you planning, Conrad? To build a little cottage in some far away human village? Or perhaps to take them back to Earth, where news of their little forbidden indiscretion could be hidden in a culture of stupidity and lawlessness?"

"Brother, just let me explain…" Wolfram butted in desperately, as if his account alone could shield the other two from blame.

"I want no excuses from someone who would so readily turn themselves into a common whore!" Gwendel's words shot out like acid. Wolfram's face went white.

Conrad carefully constructed calm front broke. "How dare you…" Conrad growled. "To your own brother!"

"Thanks to all this nonsense I probably won't have a brother by the end of the day!" Gwendel hisses, his jaw taut in an effort to control himself.

Yuuri gasped as Conrad's arm swung back. Gwendel stared numbly at the fist coming towards his face, not even trying to block. Yuuri closed his eyes in the dreaded anticipation of flesh hitting flesh.

What he heard instead was like a collective indrawn breath.

"Mother!" Conrad voice was tight with disbelief.

Cheri stood calmly before Conrad's halted punch, her cold stare reminding everyone in the room that she was once the leader of the whole country. Right now though, she was just a mother, so it seemed like nothing for her to turn around and smack Gwendel firmly across his right cheek.

Yuuri turned as Wolfram jerked reflexively when the blow landed. The blond's strange colored eyes watered slightly.

Yuuri leaned towards him, his voice creeping quietly from the side of his mouth. "Does that mean something? The slap? I mean—is it like the engagement thing but maybe reversed or someth—"

"It's sort of hard to translate…" Wolfram replied in a low voice as his hand came of to rub at his own cheek, as if he could still feel his brother's hand there.

"Well, just the gist will do." Yuuri whispered desperately as he stared at the tense trio in the center of the room. "I'm completely lost here!"

"It means…" Wolfram searched his heart for the words. " It means, 'Stop. The path that you're taking is wrong. We are family. I want to protect you. I – I l-love you… Don't…don't destroy yourself…."

Yuuri's eyes widened. "It means all that?" he asked.

Wolfram didn't answer. Yuuri glanced over and was shocked to see tears streaming down the boy's pale face.

"Forgive me…" Gwendel muttered, drawing Yuuri's attention back to the center of the room. His long hair hung before his face like a chastised child as he stared fixedly at some patch of floor off to the side of Cheri's heel-clad feet.

"If you're all done hurting each other…" Cheri's face stayed firm for the briefest of moments, before transforming into an expression of grief. "It's all my fault." She admitted. "I snuck in here last night and stuck one of my bottles of Love Oil on their dresser."

"What?" Gwendel looked shocked. "Why? You of all people know the consequence of their actions."

It was Cheri's turn to cast her eyes downward. "I didn't mean for things to go this far. But after seeing how well the oil in the bath seemed to work, I thought it couldn't hurt to give them another little nudge."

"What?" Yuuri blinked. "In the bath?" Beside him, Wolfram's eyes widened and his breath suddenly came in ragged gasps.

Cheri nodded sadly. "I had just gotten out of the bath when Wolfram ran past. He looked so upset that I didn't want to bother him with such trifling details."

"Trifling deta--?" Wolfram croaked out incredulously, his face whiter than ever.

Like the bright light at the end of a tunnel, Yuuri quickly spied a way out of this messy situation. "See?" he laughed. "This is all just one big mistake!" the dark haired boy didn't catch Wolfram's sudden stiffening beside him. "This never would have happened if it weren't for Cheri's misplaced aphrodisiacs! It's all one big mistake!" Yuuri grinned disarmingly, idly wondering in the back of his mind why everyone's grim faces suddenly looked even more upset.

Wolfram jerked his hand out of Yuuri's own. "Well… there you are." He stated to Gwendel in a tightly strangled voice.

Gwendel spared the blond a sympathetic glance before sighing and striding towards the door, where the guards had inexplicably disappeared. Only Yosak and Gunter remained.

"I didn't think this type of show needed an audience." Yozak stated as way of apology. Gunter just stared at him with unusually solemn eyes.

Gwendel nodded distractedly as he once again rubbed at his eye. "Gunter. Take Yuuri down to the courtyard. A shrine maiden is waiting there to take his majesty--" the others in the room didn't miss the slight edge the man gave to Yuuri's title. "--To the temple. He will be Ulrike's problem from then on."

"You can't do that yet." Conrad protested. "You can see that both Yuuri and Wolfram have things they need to work out. To separate them now would be cruel."

Gwendel met the man's gaze steadily. "Nevertheless—"

"You can't!" Unbidden, Conrad's hand found its way to the hilt of his sword.

"Do you choose to go against Shinou's will?" Gwendel's tenuous patience snapped. "Do you really think that by not complying to His Will that you are doing any good for them?"

"It seems as if all I've been doing lately is by Shinou's will." Conrad said softly, his hand not leaving his sword. "It's about time we start thinking for ourselves."

Gwendel shook his head sadly. "Yozak. Sir Weller is obviously not in his right mind at the moment. I suspect he's been in contact with that oil as well. Could you please lock him up somewhere for now? You can let him out once all the smoke clears from his head."

"Yes sir." Yosak said as he walked steadily towards his friend. Conrad's lips thinned but his determination didn't waver before the redhead's approach. Yosak reached out carefully --like one trying to pet a wild animal—and took hold of Conrad's arm.

"At this point the young master's life is more important then his love-life, right?" Yozak hissed in Conrad's ear as he stared at Wolfram meaningfully. Conrad's face hardened before crumpling in defeat. His sword-belt dropped suddenly to the ground.

"Come along now, Sir Weller." Yosak said pleasantly as he guided him from the room.

"Conrad?" Yuuri called after his mentor, confusion lining his face.

"It's time for you to leave as well." Gwendel stated as Gunter's hands came to rest atop the young man's shoulders.

"The carriage is waiting." Gunter said, his voice sad.

"B-but why?" Yuuri began pulling against the long-haired man's surprisingly firm grip. "What about Wolfram? What am I supposed to do there? Won't anybody tell me what in the world is going on?"

"Do not trouble yourself on my account." Wolfram said in a cold voice that froze Yuuri's spine. "I am fully capable of taking care of myself, Your _Majesty_."

"Wolfram?" Yuuri's legs kicked out and hit the doorframe, momentarily impeding his progress out the door. "What's wrong?" His wild gaze searched the other faces in the room. "What's going on? I thought we sorted this all out?"

Gwendel pushed Yuuri's legs out of the way as he pulled a reluctant Cheri away from her youngest son. Giving the dark-haired boy a helpful push, Gwendel succeeded in forcing all four of them out into the hallway, leaving Wolfram in the room. Alone.

"If you care at all about Wolfram," Gwendel said in a low and angry voice. "I suggest you do exactly as your told." He wordlessly signaled to some guards down the hall before turning to look Yuuri square in the eye. "As for what to do in the temple, well, I suggest you pray and pray hard. Wolfram's life may depend on it."

Yuuri got one last panicked look as Wolfram's thin figure before the door slammed shut and the two guards stood firmly before it. But that one look was enough to stun Yuuri speechless. He didn't even remember the long walk to the courtyard or getting into the carriage. All he could see as the horses raced away from Blood Pledge Castle was Wolfram's eyes; their strange gray gaze narrowed in hatred.

They had been staring straight at _him_.

UOAMAOU


End file.
